Connie: Chestnuts are not "NASTY" tasting, they are delicious and good chestnuts are slightly sweet. Buy chestnuts that are hard with shiny shells. Flat sided chestnuts sit on a baking sheet a lot easier so try to choose them. Only bad chestnuts that I have had are ones that have gotten mildewed. You can tell if you have a bad chestnut because once opened the nut itself will be black inside and are not creamy colored. Bad ones can also puff out a tiny cloud of mildewed dust. Chestnuts can be difficult to peel. After cutting an X onto the chestnut, place the chestnut with the x-side up onto the baking sheet, pop them them into a 400-425 F. degree oven, and lightly sprinkle or spray water on them. They are usually baked anywhere from 20-30 minutes. If the "X" spreads backwards, that is when they are usually done. I usually sample a chestnut and if the chestnut is not hard, then it is ready to eat or use in a recipe.
Connie: Chestnuts are not "NASTY" tasting, they are delicious and good chestnuts are slightly sweet. Buy chestnuts that are hard with shiny shells. Flat sided chestnuts sit on a baking sheet a lot easier so try to choose them. Only bad chestnuts that I have had are ones that have gotten mildewed. You can tell if you have a bad chestnut because once opened the nut itself will be black inside and are not creamy colored. Bad ones can also puff out a tiny cloud of mildewed dust. Chestnuts can be difficult to peel. After cutting an X onto the chestnut, place the chestnut with the x-side up onto the baking sheet, pop them them into a 400-425 F. degree oven, and lightly sprinkle or spray water on them. They are usually baked anywhere from 20-30 minutes. If the "X" spreads backwards, that is when they are usually done. I usually sample a chestnut and if the chestnut is not hard, then it is ready to eat or use in a recipe.